Category: Case studies

At AJ, we believe attribution is the key to successful DR and it’s at the heart of everything we do. One of our clients, Kinetico, the leading supplier and manufacturer of water softeners looked to us to drive sales and increase awareness.

AJ created a combined press campaign and TV launch. We used a combination of unique phone numbers and codes which all linked to a free installation offer. With these, and Adalyser tracking on TV, we were able to drill right down to discover the best performing press titles, TV channels and advertorials. This meant we could achieve optimum value and increase performance to deliver a successful campaign.

AJ devised a 4-tier strategy to achieve this:

A series of advertorials was created to educate the market on the real damage limescale can cause to the home as well as a family’s health

A more direct, offer-led promotional campaign

Door drops to households in specific hard water areas

A DRTV presence to demonstrate limescale damage and to lift the awareness of the brand.

The results in both press and TV exceeded all expectations, with significant reductions in cost per lead. We have developed a series of tools to greatly enhance the accuracy and quality of attribution across all media. The result is consistently lower cost per sale and improved ROI. If you would like to find out more about this, please get in touch: lesley@aja.co.uk

No, I’m not talking about what do you say when you meet your in-laws for the first time, I’m afraid that social minefield is left for you to navigate. This article concerns advertising vitamins and supplements.

In the vitamin and supplements market you can’t make any claims on your products without supporting evidence from vigorous clinical trials. So, although the ingredients may be widely known to have a range of benefits you can’t usually say it in press. We must find ways to say something, when you can claim nothing. A useful tool in this exercise is the employment of imagery, such as images of muscles glowing red to indicate pain. Another valuable weapon in the arsenal to combat these constrictions is an editorial, one which talks around the relevant issue or topic rather than the product itself, and then follow this with a claim-free ad.

Finding the most effective ways to get strong results without compromising the ASA rules is not easy, but it is possible – attached is some editorial that we ran in the Mail for our client, Tower Health, which delivered great results. To finish, a word of advice: when meeting the in-laws, I would avoid talking about politics.

To learn about how AJ can improve communication between you and your customers contact Lesley Bowman on 01225 758222 or email lesley@aja.co.uk.

AJ and Aquability have an 18-year working relationship, which has seen great success for the client over the years. Recently, AJ have been helping them update their image.

Aquability’s last photoshoot took place in 2010, a year when the word Brexit meant nothing to most of us, a time before Andy Murray had won Wimbledon and since then over 6 different iPhone models have become the new ‘must-have’ item. It is understandable then that the imagery used in their press ads was fatiguing. Realising this, AJ had been lobbying with Aquability for a review of their customer recruitment photography.

In December 2018 Aquability commissioned AJ to prepare for a photoshoot to support national press and other marketing collateral. AJ were also asked to prepare a proposal to shoot footage for an online sales video to support a new Walk in Shower.

During the proposal preparation for the video, AJ discussed with the client the opportunity to optimise its cost and recommended that Aquability also shot some extra footage to enable the creation and edit of a TVC. AJ prepared costs for with and without the TVC but the evident cost advantage in shooting both at the same time really appealed to the client. AJ’s initiative effectively saved the client 73% by shooting both projects together.

The photography and film shoot were a great success and our client is extremely happy with the outcome. This Spring will see a host of fresh looks for Aquability: new Press Ads are live, and the Sales Team’s video and TVC are soon to be completed.

To learn more about how AJ can inject a fresh energy into your ads contact Lesley Bowman on 01225 758222 or email lesley@aja.co.uk.

At AJ we base our whole business model around attribution and our clients’ results prove how effective this approach is.

When we start working with a client, we strongly encourage them to take this philosophy on board. To unlock the full roll-out potential of print media, it is crucial to have a strong understanding of where your sales come from. This understanding is garnered directly from results and assumptions of customer habits can hinder this process.

We started working with Charles Tyrwhitt last year and though they were well experienced in offering discount codes, we felt that obstacles were created for their customers in the way these codes were used in their ads. They had a mechanism in place which required consumers to type in a unique URL to access their offers. The thought process was that the customer would have saved the ad with the URL. However, we believed this was causing them to miss out on orders. We felt this was purely because the majority of customers would actually use Google Search to find Charles Tyrwhitt, which would instead take them to the homepage and therefore not allow access to the offers.

After suggesting a different approach to Charles Tyrwhitt, they agreed to test a code at checkout via the main site and the results now speak for themselves. Times Magazine sales increased by a whopping 415%. Metro sales also saw a phenomenal growth, up by 375%. These results have now put press firmly back on the plan for Charles Tyrwhitt in 2019.

To hear more about how AJ’s insights can deliver serious gains, contact Lesley Bowman on 01225 758222 or email lesley@aja.co.uk.

With winter’s chill approaching, knitwear becomes the most appreciated part of anyone’s wardrobe and for Woolovers it’s a crucial time for their sales. Woolovers have used AJ in the past but then parted to focus on a change of direction into brand and online. Though, when their results had fallen to a point of not being cost effective, they got back in touch. They wanted to see if we could bring back the cosy and comforting numbers they enjoyed when we worked together previously.

So, we did some analysis and came up with a low risk plan to see if we could warm things up again. We managed to secure cheap rates, better positions and new titles to test, as well as going back into banker titles like The Telegraph and testing some prime sites, like the OBC. Results were so strong that the budgets have increased, and press has again become a key driver on new customers. We think this quote from the client sums it up nicely….

‘Our previous Media agency wasn’t performing; the ROI’s had fallen to a level of negligible return and spend had declined to almost nothing. We moved the business back to AJ and immediately saw a difference. We worked to a tightened budget but they managed to deliver as much media coverage with positive ROI.

AJ have bought some great positions, which have really worked well, so much so, we have now increased the budget’.

We hear the CEO, regarding our efforts in the press, even quipped “It’s a licence to print money. Do it!”. It will make the cold winter mornings on our way to work that much easier knowing we deliver such brilliant results for our clients.

To hear more about how AJ can help you capitalise on press content contact Lesley Bowman on 01225 758222 or email lesley@aja.co.uk.

Recently we have run our first press ad for Pasta Evangelists – we’d love to know what you think.

After hearing about Pasta Evangelists, I just had to try them. I would consider myself a committed Italophile; I love the people, the history and the culture. However, at the heart of my appreciation is the wonderful food. So, I was extremely excited to discover Pasta Evangelists and I must say the divine connotations of their company name certainly ring true. The artisanal pasta, the sauces and garnishes authentically sourced from Italy herself seemed heaven-sent as they appeared through my letterbox. I enjoyed it immensely and a truly delicious product deserves an equally satisfying ad campaign.

Pasta Evangelists have already built a healthy social media following and database but are new to press. Having seen the success Attinger Jack has brought to clients like Donald Russell through press, they wanted to see if it could also be a strong recruitment channel for them.

Direct Response Focused Advert, left, is tested against the more Brand Focused Ad on the right

As always, we are taking a cautious and considered approach, testing a single insertion with an AB split in The Telegraph, bought short term to keep the costs down, but still in a great position under the Food & Drink editorial. One creative is more direct response – telling the story of Pasta Evangelists and setting the scene. The other is more brand orientated – with less text, more images and a striking colour block. The jury is still out as to which will perform best. We have a sweepstake running in the office with a mouth-watering prize of a Pasta Evangelists voucher up for grabs. Most of our team feel that the ‘brand’ version will prove the most successful but we’re keen to know what you think.

My opinion? I would go with the direct response ad. If you’re in the mood for pasta? The Devon crab ravioli with Lemon pangrattato, samphire and parsley butter. Or why not choose your favourite from the wonderful range of delicious dishes available at https://pastaevangelists.com/

Buon appetito!

To hear more about how AJ can create an ad campaign customers can really get their teeth into, contact Lesley Bowman on 01225 758222 or email lesley@aja.co.uk.

We bring success back to press for our clients, which is why Bunches has returned to press as a new customer acquisition source.

Though press circulations used to be triple what they are now, the market is certainly not dead. It still has a vital role to play alongside other streams of advertising. Paramount in making press advertising a success is finding an agency who will use their expertise with passion and willingness for their clients, Attinger Jack is that agency.

Often clients find that when they first advertise online they get results that beat the press figures. Particularly when they are generating repeat business as they find the new online audience has a much higher proportion of new customers and that press percentages have risen as the ads have run and run. So, the budgets shift into online and away from press, in some cases even dropped altogether. However, when Bunches found that their results from online began falling, they knew they had to rethink.

At AJ we have brought success back to press for a number of clients including; Donald Russell, Serious Readers and Thomas Sanderson. Hearing this, Bunches agreed to a £10K test plan to see if we could do the same for them. That is exactly what we did, and Bunches have gone on to spend more than double this figure in the last couple of months and have confirmed a budget with us for November and December. Though don’t just take our word for it, hear what Bunches had to say about our partnership for yourselves.

“We decided to return to press after an 8 year break and AJ held our hand through the process. AJ’s initial approach of A/B testing different propositions really helped us craft a design and an offer that would get us the best ROI. AJ have delivered some great rates for us, enabling us to get our brand in national press within budget”

For matters of the heart say it with flowers, for your business say it with press.

To hear more about how AJ can keep your advertising figures in bloom, contact Lesley Bowman on 01225 758222 or email lesley@aja.co.uk.

AJ is a proactive agency constantly over-delivering to help clients maximise revenue from their advertising spend. Whether it’s putting forward new media opportunities, suggesting new channels or refreshing response with new creative ideas we never stop – even when things are going well.

Recently, in the space of five days, we proposed these three very things to one of our most successful clients Harrington & Byrne. Capitalising on what was already proving to be a highly responsive press campaign, we turned to their current TV activity and negotiated a reduced CPT to help test a new channel. It proved to be very successful. As a result, the client allocated a further £10K to their airtime spend thereby further increasing return on revenue. In addition, given our learning from press and the response levels achieved, we put forward a cost-effective insert plan to generate even more. And lastly, we took the requirement to refresh the current creative and completely changed the content and look – far exceeding the client’s expectations. All in just one week.

This kind of proactiveness is happening all the time for our clients. It’s generating increased revenue for them and giving them the confidence to try new or additional tactics. In return their appreciation inspires us to do even more.

Isn’t that what a great client/agency relationship should be all about?

AJ is keeping Harrington & Byrne ahead of the competition in a busy coin market by expanding reach inside and outside their traditional press channels.

AJ started working with gold and silver experts, Harrington & Byrne, five years ago. Over that time, spend has increased significantly aiming to maximise return from press as quickly as possible.

When the coin market started saturating, and CPNC increased, AJ had to work harder and smarter to drive costs down. First was the need to replicate the positive results seen from Harrington & Byrne’s traditional full-page ads. These have been complemented by a range of sizes including half page and 20×2 mono. A variety of positions, such as OBC and solus TV and puzzles sites, and multiple sections have also been used to maximise the breadth of readership within a single title. Testing new titles was another important part of the redeveloped media plan.

Just as more press titles bring new audiences, so do additional channels. AJ has bolted on online display packages at huge discounts to attract a different audience and encourage online traffic to the Harrington & Byrne website.

The biggest move, though, has been to test TV, bringing yet another fresh audience and exciting potential. An initial two-week test in February has expanded into a constant TV presence ever since.

With the low-hanging fruit well and truly picked, hard work and clever planning is bringing new life to Harrington & Byrne’s results ensuring they stay ahead of the competition in an increasingly competitive market.

Contact Lesley Bowman on 01225 758222 or lesley@aja.co.uk to discover how AJ can drive up your results.

Buoyed by the early achievements of AJ’s print media plan, Kitchen specialist, Dream Doors, is now hoping for success on television.

Dream Doors had restricted their television advertising to just one channel and been disappointed with results, seeing a very high cost per lead and low ROI.

Tasked with improving their results, AJ set about compiling a test campaign, choosing the top converting channels and those with relevant content for the ABC1 45+ target audience.

While Dream Doors had previously scheduled content for the summer months, AJ chose the cost-effective Christmas period for the test campaign. There are bargains to be had over the Christmas/New Year period – competitive pricing, high viewing figures and strong consumer buying. Ideal for a company trying to overcome previous disappointment.

And overcome it they did. Web traffic increased by 25% year on year from Boxing Day through to the New Year. Even more impressively, cost per lead plummeted by almost three quarters.

Not surprisingly, Dream Doors were keen to continue. AJ began to optimise the channels selected, dropping those with the highest CPLs and lowest volumes. Coming out of the low-cost Christmas period inevitably increased CPT, but results have continued to please. Web traffic has remained elevated year on year and CPL sits at just a third of the 2017 figure.

Dream Doors are thrilled with AJ’s approach, broadening their outlook and spend to optimise results.